Michael Lake

Cities are becoming the new engines of inclusive prosperity. As affordability, wellbeing and social cohesion become defining urban challenges, livability is emerging as the new frontier of competitiveness. This high-level roundtable will explore how cities can design economies, services and policies around people’s everyday lives and needs, turning inclusion into growth, public space into connection and quality of life into a strategic asset. Because the most successful cities will not only attract investment and talent; they will make people want to stay, belong and thrive.

Urban digital platforms are increasingly being used to navigate the complexity of urban environments, helping cities better understand how they function and evolve. By enabling data-driven decision-making and scenario exploration, these tools support more effective and forward-looking planning. This session explores the role of simulations within these platforms—what they can currently offer, from predictive insights to scenario testing, and what possibilities they open for the future of urban digital systems, while also examining how governments are adopting these tools in practice and the challenges involved in developing, financing, and translating them into meaningful outcomes for urban planning.

Five finalists. One winner. Twenty minutes that could change what gets built in your city next. The QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge Top 5 take the stage for a live fireside panel — introducing their solutions, unpacking the urban challenges they're solving, and sharing what they need to scale. The session closes with the live winner announcement.